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. 2002 Nov;61(Suppl 2):ii51–ii53. doi: 10.1136/ard.61.suppl_2.ii51

Behçet's disease: a new target for anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment

P Sfikakis
PMCID: PMC1766720  PMID: 12379622

Abstract

The short-term effects of the anti-TNF monoclonal antibody infliximab have been reported in several case reports and small case series, whereas the effects of etanercept have been presented in recent conferences. Preliminary results strongly suggest that infliximab is remarkably effective in inducing short-term remission of almost all manifestations of the disease, including acute, sight threatening panuveitis. A double blind, placebo controlled, one month study on the efficacy of etanercept in suppressing the mucocutaneous manifestations of the disease showed beneficial results.

To date, significant side effects have not been reported. It seems that TNF block is an effective new treatment for patients with Behçet's disease. Whether such treatment is superior to the conventional therapeutic approaches in preventing relapses and progression of the disease remains to be determined by carefully controlled studies. At least three open, long term studies, including larger numbers of patients are currently being conducted.

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Selected References

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